Innovative Practice 2017 on Employment, Work and Vocational Education and Training
Persons with intellectual disabilities working as university lecturers
| Name of Innovative Practice: | Persons with intellectual disabilities working as university lecturers |
|---|---|
| Organisation: | Institut für Inklusive Bildung gemeinnützige GmbH and Drachensee Foundation |
| Country of Implementation | Germany |
PROBLEMS TARGETED
Universities teach about people with disabilities, but they do not do so with disabled people themselves. People with intellectual disabilities are almost totally excluded from the university education system.
SOLUTION & METHODOLOGY
The Institut für Inklusive Bildung (Institute for Inclusive Education) qualifies people with intellectual disabilities and provides them with job opportunities, mostly teaching about the specific requirements of people with intellectual disabilities. Following an intensive three-year seminar (2013 to 2016), the first graduates will start their teaching job as education specialist (Bildungsfachkraft) at the University of Kiel in the fall of 2016.
They will teach regular seminars, special coursework, and hold lectures. Moreover, they will teach in high schools, speak at conferences, and conduct workshops. They will work independently, and will plan and conduct their teaching job in an autonomous way.
OUTLOOK & TRANSFERABILITY
The overall cost for the five participants over the three years of course work was €360,000 per year. The institute has contacts to more than 25 third-level education facilities in Germany and abroad to further promote the issue.
In the long run, the institute seeks to educate and graduate 30 to 35 such educational specialists. The model of the Institut für Inklusive Bildung is receiving more attention each year. During approximately 40 public lectures, more than 2,000 people came into direct contact with the topic. In addition, a study group promoted this theme in the United Kingdom, and media coverage has further increased public awareness of the project.
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